Gender and Participating in Capturing Kids’ Hearts on Social Emotional Learning of Ninth-Grade Students in Arkansas

The purpose of this study was to understand gender differences in the Social Emotional Learning of students participating in the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program at a high school in Central Arkansas. In this quantitative, causal-comparative strategy study, there were 271 ninth-grade students who participated in a presurvey of social emotional learning outcomes and 476 ninth-grade students who participated in a postsurvey of the same outcomes a year after implementation of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. Both samples were drawn using a convenience sampling technique. The Hanover Social Emotional Learning Student Survey instrument was used to obtain data on students’ perception of their social emotional learning before participating in the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program, and after participating in the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. The students’ survey consisted of nine constructs developed around the five CASEL competencies: self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision-making, selfmanagement, and relationship skills. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to explore differences by gender on the social emotional learning competencies among the students before and after participation in the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. Additionally, descriptive analyses were conducted between the two data sets to compare the mean scores for males and females. The findings in this study revealed meaningful differences between male and female ninth-grade students on specific CASEL competencies before they participated in the program as well as gender differences on certain competencies after one year of participating in the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. After a year of participating in the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program, ninth-grade male students benefited more in responsible decision-making and self-management than females. However, females benefited more in self-awareness and social awareness than males. The implications for educators regarding social emotional learning for males and females based on the inferential and descriptive analysis may indicate that males and females need differentiated instruction for social emotional learning to maximize their skill development

Gender differences in self reported long term outcomes following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The majority of research on health outcomes after a traumatic brain injury is focused on male participants. Information examining gender differences in health outcomes post traumatic brain injury is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in symptoms reported after a traumatic brain injury and to examine the degree to which these symptoms are problematic in daily functioning.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a secondary data analysis of a retrospective cohort study of 306 individuals who sustained a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury 8 to 24 years ago. Data were collected using the Problem Checklist (PCL) from the Head Injury Family Interview (HIFI). Using Bonferroni correction, group differences between women and men were explored using Chi-square and Wilcoxon analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chi-square analysis by gender revealed that significantly more men reported difficulty setting realistic goals and restlessness whereas significantly more women reported headaches, dizziness and loss of confidence. Wilcoxon analysis by gender revealed that men reported sensitivity to noise and sleep disturbances as significantly more problematic than women, whereas for women, lack of initiative and needing supervision were significantly more problematic in daily functioning.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides insight into gender differences on outcomes after traumatic brain injury. There are significant differences between problems reported by men compared to women. This insight may facilitate health service planners and clinicians when developing programs for individuals with brain injury.</p